By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The Presidency has denied there’s been any “political instruction” to the State Attorney not to recover between R15million to R32 million it paid for Jacob Zuma’s corruption trial litigation.
It’s been more than two years since the Supreme Court of Appeal ordered the State Attorney to recover the funds.
The Court further found that allowing officials to resist being held accountable by drawing on state resources to obstruct or delay prosecution is a subversion of the public interest.
The Presidency insists that all decisions concerning Zuma’s legal costs were made in line with the law.
The State Attorney tallied the amount to R18.2-million, excluding interest. But according to two civil litigation judgments in cases brought by the DA and the EFF in December 2018 in the North Gauteng High Court and the SCA in April 2021, Zuma racked up personal legal fees and cost orders of at least R25-million.
Zuma did not respond to the letter of demand that he was served in this regard, with the next step being a summons from the State Attorney.
As for a summons being issued by the State Attorney to retrieve the R18.2-million from Zuma, justice and correctional services spokesperson Chrispin Phiri referred DM168 to Solicitor-General Fhedzisani Pandelani for an update.
Government had previously stated that it is legally bound to finance the legal expenses of public officials accused of offenses while in office. There has been mounting criticism towards this policy, particularly considering the serious corruption allegations against Zuma.
Zuma, who has faced numerous corruption and misconduct allegations during his tenure, is currently on trial for charges including fraud, racketeering, and money laundering.
These latest developments in South Africa’s legal arena reflect the ongoing challenges the country faces.
The former president’s inability to handle his finances has been widely reported on, as has his penchant for pleading poverty. As a former president, Zuma receives a R2.9-million annual pension, security and lifelong medical aid via taxpayers.
In 2019, while addressing hundreds of supporters outside the Pietermaritzburg High Court after an early sitting of the corruption case, Zuma said that he would need to start selling “hats and socks” to fund his defence.